US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Kyiv today, the latest show of support for Ukraine's fight against Russia by a senior Western politician.

It came as Russia destroyed a runway at the main airport in the southwestern city of Odesa on Saturday, Ukrainian officials said.

Russia's defence ministry said today its missiles had destroyed a runway and a hangar with foreign weapons at a military airfield near Odesa.

Ukraine said Russian planes had continued to launch strikes on the southeastern city of Mariupol, focussing on the Azovstal steelworks where troops and civilians are sheltering.

A Ukrainian fighter inside the steelworks said on Saturday that 20 women and children had managed to leave the plant.

The Russian defence ministry said 46 civilians had left the residential area around the plant on Saturday.

Reuters could not immediately verify reports of battlefield developments.

Ms Pelosi said she had met Mr Zelenskiy in Kyiv to send the message that the United States stands firmly with Ukraine as it battles "Putin's diabolic invasion".

Britain's Foreign Office said Russia is using a troll factory to spread disinformation about the war on social media and target politicians across a number of countries including Britain and South Africa.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz rejected criticism that Germany was not showing leadership in Western efforts to supply Ukraine with heavy weapons, saying that he'd rather be cautious than make hasty decisions.